Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Nothing Else Will Do?

"At the weekend indulge in First Class for only 18.80. Nothing else will do."

was the exhortation I noticed on a series of posters while waiting for a train today. I know the message they wanted me to receive, but I immediately came up with three alternate views.

1) Why is an allegedly premium product being sold to me on the basis of reduced cost?

2) You want me to sample the product at the weekend? Are you suggesting that, even when the trains are less crowded, the regular customers are still receiving an inferior experience that I'd want to avoid?

3) What about during the week? Are you not interested in me being a first class customer then?

Today's lesson? Make sure the message you want to deliver is credible (in reality, the first class seating was essentially differentiated solely by signage), accentuates the positive and is delivered in a way that is not open to cynical interpretation.